35 
By the aid of lantern slides Mr. Flinn took his audience 
over one of the routes he had travelled when visiting Persia 
in his capacity as an Eastern trader. From London he 
went by rail to Tiflis and thence by road to Tabriz, Teheran, 
Ispahan, Sultanabad, Hamadan, arriving ultimately at the 
Caspian port of Enzeli en route for Baku. In the course of 
his remarks he made abundantly clear how formidable are 
the difficulties of travel in Persia. The usual procedure is 
to travel in a very primitive type of carriage drawn by four 
horses, which should be changed every 15 or 16 miles. On 
arrival at the posting stations more often than not a change 
of horses is impossible as there are none in waiting. In winter 
the plight of the horses is pitiable and it is quite possible 
that the traveller may have to walk as far as he rides 
and his aid is frequently necessary in order to push the vehicle 
over the difficult ground. If time is not a consideration 
and if the bagagge is heavy, it is by far the better plan to 
travel by caravan, i.e., with a train of pack animals — either 
mules or camels. Twenty miles per day is a good average 
by this mode of conveyance, the traveller sees much more 
of the country he is passing through and he is moreover 
a perfectly free agent as to when he pauses and when he 
proceeds. But by either method the cost is considerable 
being anything between £5 and £8 per day. On some of 
the routes, notably on the mountainous passes between Sultan- 
abad and Ispahan, robbers and raiders abound. It is well, 
therefore, at all times to be well armed and to engage extra 
guards for these journeys. To illustrate the arduous nature 
of travel in Persia the lecturer related how on one occasion 
he travelled for fifteen days without the opportunity of 
either taking off his clothes or of sleeping in a bed, and on 
the same occasion he travelled for forty-five consecutive days 
by post horses. The caravanserais on the main routes are 
often infested with vermin and not always weather-proof. 
Of the towns of Teheran, Ispahan and Tabriz the 
lecturer gave very interesting accounts. Sultanabad, the 
great centre of carpet manufacture, was described, as 
also the conditions under which the carpets are produced. 
Teheran, a thirteenth century town, is the centre of European 
society and the principal town in Persia. Beside containing 
the town residence of the Shah and these at of the Court, it in- 
cludes within its walls the British legation, and also the Imperial 
Bank of Persia which, in spite of its name, is in reality a 
British Bank. Ispahan is a town whose previous glory has 
departed. The ruins which abound on the outskirts of the 
present town give some indication of its size and importance 
